Fire Emblem Awakening: Rescuing Emmeryn
by Reiyalin
Summary: My rendition of events of Chapter 9 from FE: Awakening in novelized form that I wrote for a contest. I wrote in my "Avatar" in place of Robin. Tried to keep quotes from the game to maintain the character's personalities (some modified because of awkward English translations, instead trying to keep true to the Japanese translation instead). Includes spoilers from the game!


The blistering heat of the sun beat down upon the small Shepherds party as they trudged through the sand. Horrible, dry sand somehow managed to find its way into every crease of clothing and armor, trickling into boots and greaves more skillfully than bugs finding their way into the sugar supply.

"… _Bleh_ , if I eat one more grain of dirt I'll go mad," Lissa moaned, scrunching her face in disgust as she made a futile attempt to rid her mouth of the Plegian desert sand. She turned to her companion, " _Psst,_ Ricken, think you could use some wind magic to keep the sand away from us instead of sending it everywhere?"

Ricken sulked, "Sorry. I hate getting sand in my face too, but I already got an earful from Miriel earlier when I tried…"

" _Ahem…_ " Miriel appeared behind the two seemingly from nowhere. She had the look of a teacher catching two disobedient students. Ricken and Lissa both gulped.

" _EEP,_ " Ricken attempted to flee but Miriel snatched the collar of his robes and held him in place.

"I believe Miss Reiyalin precisely explained how _stealth_ is an indispensable factor of our present assignment?" Miriel asked, tapping her quill against her hand. She glowered at her two victims, who quailed beneath her gaze.

"Yes ma'am," the two grumbled.

Miriel swatted them with her quill, "Back to your positions, you two!"

Reiyalin sheepishly grinned at Miriel. It wasn't as if she couldn't understand Lissa and Ricken's feelings and sympathize with them: she too felt as if she would go mad as she brushed sand out of her more-disheveled-than-usual hair. Unfortunately, the mission came before comfort, and stealth was critical.

The company of Shepherds trudged on, a vortex of wind magic kicking sand up and sending it every which way around them thanks to various mages stationed around the party. Vaike, an axman seemed especially bothered by the debris.

" _GRAH!_ The great Vaike is ready for some actual action! Enough with this burning sun and cursed sand in my breeches business! I'll show those Plegians my unparalleled skills with the axe!"

Miriel craned her head towards the direction of the shout, which echoed for what seemed like miles in the previous dead silence of the desert. She shook her head, "Oh the greatest mysteries of science could not compare to the mystery that is that one's utter absence of rationality."

Reiyalin agreed, groaning inwardly. So much for stealth. _Please, bless us, don't let the entire Plegian army come running_ , she prayed to Naga _._ Reiyalin moved to rebuke Vaike, but the flapping of Pegasus wings overhead kept her from getting the chance. "Vaike you oaf! Are you trying to get every Naga-forsaken Plegian for miles around to come running at us?!"

"Um… I think we have company," a second Pegasus Knight timidly interjected.

"It's the damn Ylissians!" screamed a furious voice.

"Kill them!" shouted another.

" _Tsk_ ," Panne growled, clearly not pleased. "Could you have yelled any louder, man-spawn!?"

Chrom brought the Shepherds back to order just as the sounds of recoiling bowstrings resounded through the air. "There's no time for us to be fighting ourselves. Let's try to keep these soldiers from alerting more!" he cried.

Reiyalin went into battle mode, shouting orders as she pulled her Elwind tome out.

"Sumia, Cordelia! Fly out of range! Miriel, Ricken, back me up!"

There was a brief moment of silence as the three tome-users of the force condensed the mana in the air. Each tome started glowing. "Elwind!" the mages cried in synchrony as the wind spell was cast. A great green-tinged vortex rose into the sky where it smashed against the rain of arrows and scattered them away from the company.

"Charge!" a group of Plegian spearman bellowed, dashing at the three mages who'd seemingly just exposed themselves on the front line.

"The great Vaike's been waiting for this!" Vaike hollered, bursting into the fray. Before the spearmen even had time to react, their weapons were snapped in two. Two heartbeats later, a second slash of Vaike's axe ended their thinking altogether.

There was the screech of a wyvern from above. "Tsk…" Reiyalin drew her sword as she saw the razor-sharp fangs snap towards her.

"Not on my watch!" Chrom hollered, decisively slashing the beast's throat with his Falchion. The wyvern was sent tumbling into the sands, but not before its rider made a last-ditch attempt for glory, leaping from his mount with a battle cry and slashing towards Chrom's head with his axe.

"You're finished!" Reiyalin cried, a burst of lightning roaring forth from her. The soldier's body flew like a rag doll and landed several feet away. Chrom gave Reiyalin a surprised look.

"I can't have you being the only one playing hero," Reiyalin explained, winking.

" _Heh_ , I knew you had my back," Chrom replied, nodding.

The rest of the attacking Plegian soldiers were dispatched with ease a few moments later. "It looks like that's the last of them. We were lucky, it looks like only one brigade was patrolling around," Chrom said, glancing across the freshly made battlefield. He turned his attention towards the great stone wall towering over them and the shadowy castle in the distance. "Emm, we're coming!"

"Lucky, _eh_?" Reiyalin too looked over the battlefield. She was unconvinced; ever since this morning, something had felt… _off_. It was as if every movement of theirs was planned for them, and she couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into a carefully laid trap. Reiyalin's thoughts drifted back to her nightmare. "The yoke of destiny cannot be cast off! Even as they resist, they write your future with every step, O great one!" the voice of the dark figure from Reiyalin's nightmare echoed in her head. _What could it mean?_

 _I'll figure it out later,_ Reiyalin told herself, shaking off the feeling of dread and forcing herself back to the present. Chrom noticed the look of discomfort on the purple-haired tactician's face and went to comfort her. "It'll be okay, Reiya. Your battle plans have always come through for us and this time they will too. We'll definitely save Emm!"

Reiyalin forced out a small smile, "I hope so."

The Shepherds rounded a corner of the fortress wall that obscured their view of the Plegian castle. Reiyalin's breath hitched. Beyond the wall, the Plegian castle loomed in the distance, completely overshadowed by a great skull laying in the middle of the sands. The skull was massive, so much so that words could barely even begin to describe its size. On top of that, the skull reeked of death and despair, despite the fact that its owner had given itself to the embrace of death long ago. Worst of all, there was something _familiar_ about the skull, a connection Reiyalin felt in every fiber of her being. _How could it be? Who am I?_

Reiyalin's contemplation did not last very long before the familiar sounds of battle echoed in the distance once more. The party all turned toward it just in time to see two Plegian soldiers go flying. A lone light-haired axe-wielder was frantically fighting against numerous Plegian soldiers in the distance. With a glance at each other, Reiyalin and Chrom charged towards the figure. "Sumia! Cordelia!" Reiyalin shouted.

From above, the two Pegasus riders swooped in, dealing death to the axe-wielders enemies. They took two soldiers about the hit the unknown warrior from behind and helped fend off the remainder of the swarm with their long, deadly lances. Out of the corner of her eye, Reiyalin noticed a team of archers training their bows on the two Pegasus Knights.

"Not on my watch. Time to tip the scales!" Reiyalin drew out her Elthunder tome. "This desert heat and dryness should help a bit," Reiyalin murmured, releasing the bolt of lightning and sending it toward the archers. She grinned as the bows broke and caught fire, causing the foes to drop them to the ground with a yelp.

Chrom ran past Reiyalin and leapt in the air, slashing with his Falchion. Another unfortunate wyvern crashed into the sands. "You seem to really attract these things," Chrom noted, raising an eyebrow toward Reiyalin.

"It's ok, I know you have my back with that Falchion of yours," Reiyalin teased Chrom.

Sumia, Cordelia, and the light-haired axe user had also dispatched the Plegians that had been assaulting them. Chrom and Reiyalin approached the unknown warrior. "You there! Who are you? Why do you fight alone?" Chrom called.

The newcomer looked surprised. "Good heavens! You're Prince Chrom, brother to Her Grace the Exalt! You may call me Libra."

"You know me?" Chrom responded in surprise.

"Know you? Of course, sire! All Ylissean clergy do. I must thank the gods for uniting us! Oh, dearest and most heavenly fa—" Libra replied, entering a prayer stance.

"With all respect, now is not the time for prayer—it's action that's called for," Chrom interrupted.

"Ah, too true!" Libra said, returning to a more relaxed stance. "We hurried here to help as soon as word came of the execution."

"We? Then there are more of you?" Chrom asked. Reiyalin was curious too; more allies in such a dire situation would be most welcome.

"Alas, there were. I lost many brave comrades along the way," the axe-user replied regretfully. "In truth, I was starting to doubt the purpose of my struggle… But no longer! Pray, sire, let my axe serve you and your party!"

Chrom nodded, "Your love for my sister is clear. I would be honored to be joined by such a formidable woman of the cloth."

At this, Libra went silent for a moment, "Um… Man, sire. Man of the cloth."

"…You're not a woman?" Chrom glanced over the axe-user again, a tinge of red appearing on his cheeks.

"No, sire. Women are clerics. I am a priest. Well, technically a war monk, if you care to split hairs…" the clergyman replied.

"Oh. Yes, well, I'm… I didn't mean to imply…" Chrom awkwardly attempted to search for the words to remediate the situation. He gave up soon after. "Well, this is rather awkward."

"Oh, it's all right, sire. You realized your mistake quickly enough. It could have become much more awkward… MUCH more…"

"Right! Let's stop there," Chrom hurriedly interjected. Reiyalin gave her friend a strange look, one eyebrow raised, then walked away. Chrom winced—it would seem that it had already become much more awkward to him.

"Hey, Blue, Bubbles, we got company coming and it ain't sweet!" Gaius came running from the back of the Shepherd party. There was a gash on one of his arms. In the distance, Wyvern Knights could be seeing dotting the skies. It was definitely time to move. "Damn it, if it weren't for this blasted sand it sure would be nice to have some horses around to speed things up," Reiyalin muttered.

The Shepherds took cover in a small watchtower. Several members of the party were exhausted, the battles taking their toll. Lissa started dashing around, her keen eyes searching for injuries. Stopping by Gaius, the healer began channeling mana into her staff and directed a spell at Gaius' arm. The wound vanished and looked as if it had never been there at all. "Thanks Princess," Gaius said, winking at Lissa when she was finished.

In the distance, the Wyvern Riders continued drawing closer. Numerous soldiers lined the horizon as well. However, far away from all of that, upon a thin rock spire beside the cursed dragon skull was a tiny figure. Reiyalin and Chrom recognized the figure instantly. "Emm," Chrom muttered under his breath.

Reiyalin studied the ground troops that stood between the Shepherds and Emmeryn. She then looked at the oncoming Wyvern Riders. "We'll split into two groups here. Cordelia and Sumia stay here along with Virion, Ricken, and Lissa. Once we rescue Emmeryn, Ricken and Lissa can join one of you on your Pegasus since they should be light. Virion, join the other and fly out of here to meet up with Basilio, Flavia, and the other Shepherds. Use the watchtower to your advantage for archery and wind magic, Virion and Ricken. Cordelia and Sumia, give them cover. Lissa, heal anyone who gets injured."

Virion flipped his hair to the side, "Finally, I can show you my legendary skills. Miss Cordelia, will you give me the honor of riding with you into the sunset whence the time arrives?"

" _Er…_ I think I will take Lissa and Ricken," Cordelia held her arms in front of her and slowly backed away from Virion.

Virion dramatically threw a hand to his chest, "Oh Naga, the sorrow from this rejection shoot through my heart like the deadliest of arrows." He turned towards Sumia, "Milady Sumia, would your grace rescue this despairing man from the abyss of rejection?"

" _Um…_ well… I suppose someone must help you back once the mission is over…" Sumia meekly replied.

Chrom nodded in agreement with Reiyalin's plan. "Alright then, the rest of us, let's get out there and save Emmeryn!"

Chrom's party rushed out, where they were met with a swarm of Plegian soldiers. Immediately, they were assaulted by charging lance-wielding soldiers and mages.

"I'll go on ahead and take the tasty ones back there!" Gaius shouted, swinging his sword with a flourish and dashing past the lancers.

"Hey! Get back here!" the Plegian soldiers were clearly annoyed by Gaius brazen demeanor and turned to attack the swordsman.

"Such a troublesome little man-spawn," Panne sighed, rushing forth in her Taguel form. She delivered a hearty kick of her powerful hind legs, which sent soldiers crashing into one another.

Vaike ran forward, thrilled at the opportunity for battle. "The great Vaike thanks you for your offering!" he yelled, leaping up and smashing his axe into the pile of soldiers.

Beyond the lance-wielding soldiers were several mages charging their various tomes. "So long sucker!" Gaius cried, darting forward and slashing the throats of two mages, killing them instantly.

In the corner of his vision, Gaius noticed a wave of energy. He barely had time to roll out of the way before a blast of dark energy left a gaping hole where he'd been moments ago. He traced the shot back to a dark-clad woman muttering to herself. Just one look at her sent shivers down Gaius' spine. _Something tells me that she's not particularly sweet, so I suppose I'll take my leave now,_ Gaius thought to himself, running away from the dark sorceress. He left another unlucky mage in a pool of blood in his wake.

The sorceress continued muttering to herself, "So, we're to kill or die here, simply because the King commands it? _Pfft._ What do I care of these Ylisseans? We're given no reasons to fight, only orders. What's the point? Besides, I've always been quite good at choosing who to hate on my own…" With a sigh, she slowly strolled towards the invading Ylisseans, staying just far enough to the side of the battle so as to not quite get caught up in the fray.

Chrom finished off an ill-fated archer and took notice of the dark mage. Though she gave him chills, he knew that an additional ally was better than an additional enemy and approached her. "You there! Are you with the Plegians? You seem reluctant to fight," he shouted at her.

"Death comes for all of us eventually. Why invite it early, fighting for a cause I don't believe in?" the sorceress croaked out.

"So… I should take that as a no, or…" Chrom warily asked.

Tharja, for that was her name, cackled, "Let's just say I'm keeping my options open. I mean, long live the King and all, but I'd like to keep living as well. And I have a bit of a rebellious streak, I'm afraid. A…dark side."

 _Rebellious streak, eh?_ Chrom didn't know what to think. It certainly sounded shady, but his instincts told him that this woman could become an ally despite his misgivings. "Then perhaps you would rebel now and fight for your cause?" Chrom cautiously offered.

"…You would trust me? What if this is just a ploy to plunge a dagger in your back?" Tharja's eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever pursued the subject of obtaining her loyalty further once they heard those words.

"My sister, the Exalt—I think she would trust you. And I'm trying to learn from her. Besides, I already need to watch my back, whether you're with us or not," Chrom grimaced.

Tharja seemed to ponder for a moment. "Well, that's odd. Usually when I bring up the backstabbing bit the discussion is over. All right then—consider me your new ally… For now."

Reiyalin ran over to Chrom, expecting him to be under a spell of the dark mage. Chrom stopped her and eased her fears with a raised hand, "Don't worry, she's helping us now."

Reiyalin suspiciously looked over the new recruit. Everything about her screamed suspicious. "Chrom, are you sure? This seems…"

"Oh ho, look at what we have here," the black-clad sorceress strolled over to Reiyalin, looking her over from every angle. "Yes… yes… a very interesting… _specimen_ indeed. I think I will enjoy my time fighting with you folk. Call me Tharja."

Reiyalin gave Chrom an even more apprehensive look than she had when the prince talked with Libra. She was then distracted by a tickle on her arm. When Reiyalin turned, she found Tharja wiggling her fingers maniacally and examining her body more closely. "I'll be uh, taking my leave now…" Reiyalin said, uncomfortably inching out of Tharja's range before making a mad dash to the other end of the battlefield.

Back at the watchtower, the Wyvern Riders clashed with the branch of the Shepherd team. Virion twirled an arrow, nocked it, and fired in one clean motion, "Adieu!"

Wyvern and rider spiraled into the sands below. "You filthy Ylissian!" another Wyvern Rider screamed, swinging his axe down at the dusty-blue-haired archer.

Virion leapt out of the way, arms protecting his face, as the axe crashed into stone. The impact sent a shower of debris flying through the air. Sharp rocks grazed Virion's skin. Ricken took aim at the rider and shouted, "Elwind!" A blade of green-tinged wind shot forth at the Plegian soldier. The Wyvern Rider quickly pulled his mount back into the sky.

The blade of wind sliced a new defect in the stone battlements. A third Wyvern Rider charged towards the defenseless Lissa. He was struck down midair, two lances running him through from both front and back. "I'll keep you safe!" Cordelia shouted down at Lissa. "I've gotcha!" Sumia cried out at the same time.

The two Pegasus Knights glanced at one another briefly before they were interrupted by the Wyvern Rider who'd dodged Ricken's attack. They pulled their Pegasi out of the way as two arrows whizzed past, their speed and deadliness supplemented with magical wind. One pierced the enemy wyvern's eye and the other went through the rider's helm. With an ear-splitting shriek the wyvern plummeted out of the sky, spraying fragments of rock around as it bounced off the parapet.

"Damn you, Ylissian scum!" a Plegian soldier shouted as his comrades fell one after another. He took out a battle horn and blew into it, calling for reinforcements.

An unsettling giggle reached the ears of a group of doomed Plegian soldiers. "You're already dead…" Dark energy consumed the soldiers, killing them before they could even cry out.

Chrom glanced over with a grimace, the corner of his mouth twitching. _I hope I didn't make a horrible mistake._ His party approached two watchtowers guarding the entrance to the courtyard-turned-execution ground. Plegian archers drew their bows from atop their minarets. Miriel readied her Elfire tome, "Your demise is nigh!"

Two blasts of fire sent the duo of archers to their deaths. " _Hmph,_ " Miriel huffed as she adjusted her glasses.

Beyond the towers, a large general waited for them. He was encased in a great suit of armor. The general slammed his spear into the ground and roared. "I, Campari, end your quest here! You'll never save your precious Exalt, scum!"

Libra watched him coldly, shifting his grip on his axe, "You shall not harm the Exalt! Repent, sinner!" He swung his weapon at the armored foe, only for it to crash against Campari's shield.

Campari howled and grabbed the handle of Libra's axe with one gauntleted hand. Holding it still, the general proceeded to smash his shield into Libra. The force of the blow sent the war monk tumbling across the sand-covered courtyard. Miriel quickly manipulated mana into the runes of her tome, bringing light—the essence of fire—to it once more.

"Ylissian filth, taste my spear!" Campari growled, dropping Libra's axe and lifting his spear. He hurled it toward Miriel with all his might.

"Care, book-loving man-spawn!" Panne, in her Taguel form, appeared out of nowhere, knocking Miriel down. Campari's spear hit her instead, leaving a long gash in Panne's side. Panne roared in pain, her voice terrible and frightening.

Vaike rushed in, axe raised over his shoulder, "It's time to enter the Vaike!"

Campari snatched up Libra's axe and used it to protect himself from the blond fighter. "I shall not lose to some Ylissean bastard's blade!" Campari smashed his shield into Vaike's ribs, knocking him back a few steps and then raised Libra's axe for the killing blow.

Chrom caught the blade of the axe with his Falchion. The general's strength was incredible, and Chrom felt as if the blow would rip the sword from his grasp. "Face me!" he shouted in Campari's face.

Campari roared again like an animal, shoving Chrom away and slashing widely with his axe. Chrom dove out of the way as the weapon passed through the air where he'd just stood. Gaius darted behind Campari, his blade aimed at the nape of the general's neck, "So long, sucker!"

Campari spun around, and struck Gaius with his shield. Gaius flew several meters and landed on his arm, the bones breaking with a gruesome _snap._ The elderly general seemed unstoppable. He moved and struck like a fearsome berserker. Reiyalin saw how much danger her friends were in. She fished out a rare tome from her robes. "Give me an opening!" she shouted at her allies.

The tome she had retrieved was Arcthunder. Though she had never tried this magic before, Reiyalin knew that the Shepherds were going to need every advantage they could get in this fight. She began channeling mana into the complex runes, giving it as much time as she dared. "My strength is yours!" Chrom shouted, wading back into the fray.

" _Nngh_ ," Reiyalin panted as she channeled mana into the Arcthunder spell. Higher level magic was indeed much more difficult to use than lower level spells. "Everyone!" Reiyalin shouted out as lightning essence seemed to crystalize into the Arcthunder spell. The Shepherds battling Campari recognized the urgency in her voice and instantly backed away.

Reiyalin aimed for the Plegian general, "ARCTHUNDER!" she screamed. Fatigue slammed into her senses. _I'm not sure I can cast another Arcthunder,_ she thought. _I need to make this one really count._

Campari howled with fury and pain as the Arcthunder crashed into his body. He braced his legs and swayed back and forth. He was fighting with all of his might to endure the spell, and to Reiyalin's horror, it looked like he might succeed. That would not do. Reiyalin drew out her Elwind tome and started running, "Chrom, give me a lift!"

Chrom looked up in confusion, but understood what she meant to do a moment later. He fell to one knee and held the Falchion out as a makeshift step. Reiyalin jumped onto the flat of the sword and Chrom threw her forward with all of his strength. Reiyalin held the Elwind tome in one hand and brandished her sword in the other. She cast Elwind as she was propelled into the air to a height she could have never reached on her own. Once the magic was spent, she tossed the Elwind tome aside and drew out her Elthunder tome.

Campari sank to the ground as the last sparks of Arcthunder faded into nothingness. His expression was grim, and he grit his teeth as he attempted to gather his strength. Reiyalin lifted sword and tome above her head, putting her hands together. She channeled Elthunder and it set her sword ablaze with electricity. " _HAAAAAA!_ " the robed tactician bellowed, swinging her sword for all she was worth as she landed.

Campari coughed up a mouthful of blood, "Urgh… Killing me will only… feed Plegia's rage…" The Plegian general collapsed in a heap.

Chrom quickly gazed through the sky, "Reiyalin! Their wyvern riders have fallen! The skies are clear! Give the signal!"

Reiyalin took out her Elfire and Elwind tomes. She quickly launched them in succession, manipulating Elwind carefully to not only propel the Elfire blast, but also to make it burn brighter. The magical flare shot into the sky and the Pegasus Knights led by Phila dashed in towards Emmeryn. "Your Grace!" Phila shouted.

"Phila! I'm so glad to see you're safe! But how—" Emmeryn looked on in surprise at her rescuers.

"Khan Basilio's men freed me. Come, we must hurry!" Phila reached her hand out towards Emmeryn.

At the base of the rock spire, Gangrel went into a rage. "What? Pegasus knights? How did they… That damned Ylissean tactician does NOT play fair!"

" _Heh heh heh_ … Yes, well, neither do I," Aversa chuckled. With a swipe of her arm, Risen archers appeared, surrounding the Pegasus knights.

The feeling of dread in the pit of Reiyalin's stomach since the morning took shape in the worst possible form. "What?! Risen?! Oh gods, no! Chrom! There are Risen everywhere!"

Chrom grit his teeth, "Damn! Not now!"

Gangrel cackled with glee, " _Bwa ha ha_! Oh, did an army of living corpses just APPEAR out of the blue?! Truly, the heavens smile upon the mighty King Gangrel this day! _Bwa ha ha ha!_ "

The Risen raised their bows. An arrow flew, striking Phila in the chest. "Risen… How… Y-Your Grace, I… Forgive me… Uhh…" Phila slumped over and fell from her Pegasus.

"Phila!" Emmeryn reached out towards the plummeting body of the dead Pegasus Knight.

Gangrel could hardly control his excitement, "Exeunt one Pegasus knight! Bwa ha ha! Watch how they fall, one by one!"

More arrows flew, striking down the entirety of the battalion of Pegasus Knight.

Reiyalin looked on in horror, shaking her head slowly, "No no no…"

Chrom felt despair overtake him, "We've lost…"

Gangrel gloated, "I believe this is what they call a reversal of fortunes. Now… grovel before me. Plead! Beg for your worthless lives!" The Mad King cackled loudly.

Anger flashed across Chrom's face, "I'd give up my life before I'd beg for it from you."

Gangrel was not perturbed in the slightest, "Oh, now THAT is a good line. A fitting epitaph for your tombstone, perhaps? But it's not just your life in the balance. The Exalt still stands upon the block. And I have a dozen bows trained on her. All it would take is one word from me…"

Chrom looked up at his sister, "Emm! Hold on, I'm—"

"ARCHERS! If this Ylissean pup so much as twitches, let fly your arrows!" Gangrel's voice sounded out.

Chrom shook with rage, "I… I'll kill you!"

Gangrel threw his head back and laughed again, "Go ahead! I welcome it. Just know you were responsible for Big Sister's bloody demise! …And what of the rest of you? _Eh?_ Who wants the honor of killing the Exalt? …No one? Bah! Your merry band isn't quite so headstrong anymore, is it?"

"Damn you!" Chrom shouted back.

"Now, now, my boy—no one needs to die today. Not you. Not the Exalt. Not your friends. Just lay down your sword and give me the Fire Emblem," Gangrel collected his composure and looked at Chrom with an air of dominance.

"Chrom! You can't trust him!" Reiyalin warned. Chrom gave her a murderous glare.

"OF COURSE I can't trust him! I'm not an idiot! But if I just say no, he'll kill her! The gods are cruel, damn them! My sister or my duty… A problem with no right answer, yet I must choose!" Chrom grit his teeth.

Reiyalin racked her brain desperately for a way out, "Don't give up! There has to be a way…"

"If there is, I can't see it… Ah, gods!" Chrom despaired.

"I will count to three! Throw down your weapons, or your Exalt becomes the world's largest quiver! One! Two! Thr—" Gangrel grew impatient.

"Gangrel, hold! …You win. Everyone, lay down yo—" In the end, Chrom was unable to stand by and watch his sister die.

"No, wait!" Emmeryn shouted from atop her execution stand.

Gangrel's head snapped towards the voice, eyes gleaming maniacally, "SILENCE!"

"Emm…" Chrom looked upwards at his sister.

"King Gangrel, is there no hope you will listen to reason?" Emmeryn looked down upon the Mad King.

"You mean listen to more of your sanctimonious babble?! I think not. No, all I want to hear now is the THUNK of arrows and a SPLAT as you hit the ground. Take one, long, last look from your perch. You do so enjoy looking down on people… Then prepare to meet the ground and your maker! That is, unless someone were to give me the Emblem… NOW!"

Emmeryn fell into silence. Chrom took a step forth, "ALL RIGHT! All right… Emm, I know you won't approve, but this is my final decision. MAYBE someday we'll face a crisis where MAYBE the Emblem would've helped… But I know for a fact that Ylisse needs you, today! The people need their Exalt… And we need our sister. If those dark days should come, we'll face them together."

Emmeryn looked upon Chrom and sighed, "Chrom… Th-thank you. I know now what I must do…"

"Emm, what are you—" Chrom gazed upwards.

"Plegians! I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must… As I will do. See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!" Emmeryn's voice rang as if filled with the determination of the world.

Chrom's stomach plummeted to his feet as he realized what Emmeryn was about to do. He ran desperately towards the crag upon which Emmeryn stood. Emmeryn watched her little brother's approach briefly before gazing across the vast land before her. "No reaction, was I wrong then?" she pondered to herself.

"Chrom, this is some torch I'm passing you," Emmeryn regretfully thought as she gazed at the skies. She paused a moment, coming to peace with her decision and fate, "So be it." One last time Emmeryn steeled her resolve as she walked towards the edge of the overhang. Looking over Plegia once more and more distantly and importantly, Ylisse once more.

Chrom saw his elder sister at the edge of the crag. He knew in his heart the events that would unfold but he could not bring himself to accept it. He reached out in some vain attempt to grasp an already lost peace. One where he spent days of happiness with his family, his friends. Where conflict was but brief scuffles with the occasional bandit that would then again turn to the usual gathering with Emmeryn, Lissa, and the rest of the Shepherds. That fleeting dream that had already been shattered but still held a small place in the depths of his heart.

Emmeryn fell forward. She did not jump conspicuously nor inch forward hesitantly. She just fell, fell with a grace that was almost unsettling. Chrom saw his sister pitch forward and cried out, his heart plummeting to his feet. He ran even faster without knowing why. What could he do now against the cruel laws of gravity? He had not some mystic strength to catch and save his sister from such a fall. There was nothing he could do but reach out in hopes of a miracle that he knew would not come.

In the distance, upon the watchtower, Lissa watched through the gaps of shattered stone battlements in horror. "Emmeryn!" she screamed out, covering her eyes in grief, in horror.

"Chrom, Lissa, and all my people," Emmeryn thought in her head, hands clasped against her chest as she watched the ground rush ever closer. "Know… that I loved you," Emmeryn closed her eyes one final time.

Lissa screeched at the scene from afar, "NOOOOOO!"

Chrom stared at the spot where his sister lay, sprawled out upon the ground. His entire body was numb and his strength abandoned him. He fell to his knees. For a moment, his mind went blank momentarily holding back all the emotions that crashed against the walls of his consciousness. "Emm…" Chrom held his head in despair and disbelief.

Anger, hatred, grief, sorrow, loneliness, regret, and a melting pot more of other emotions broke through the dam within Chrom's mind. "EMM!" Chrom shouted at the sky at the top of his lungs with anguish akin to one who had the world turned against him.

Reiyalin looked on in defeat and horror. "Oh gods…" she whispered under her breath.

"DAMN YOU, GANGREL!" Chrom rose back to his feet, an unparalleled rage fueling his body.

Gangrel shook his head, " _Bwa ha ha ha_! Well now! …How disgustingly noble. And so lovely a fall! Here I thought death to be an ugly thing. I've never seen one fall so gracefully, in fact …And I've seen many fall. Ah… so ends Emmeryn, Ylisse's most exalted!" Gangrel gazed upon Emmeryn's body, "But how can we ensure everyone remembers this beautiful moment of her sacrifice? Perhaps we should gather up her body and put it on display! _Bwa ha ha ha_!"

Chrom marched towards Gangrel, sword in hand, each step seeming to bear the weight of a thousand vengeful souls, "Gangrel! You die today!"

"No boy! I secured an escape route! We have to flee!" Basilio shouted as he came rushing in with Flavia.

The sand-covered courtyard turned to chaos as Plegian and Ylissean soldiers clashed. Chrom looked at Basilio, then turned again towards Emmeryn's broken corpse, "B-but… her body… I have to…"

"You have to RUN! Now do it! Reiyalin! Don't let him do anything stupid!" Basilio shouted.

Reiyalin nodded. There was no way she could understand exactly how much grief Chrom was suffering from, but she could not let him die in such a circumstance. "Chrom…" Reiyalin reached out and grabbed his hand.

Chrom yanked it free, "I have to get Emm!" He ran forward, his emotions blinding him to the danger.

"No! Chrom!" Reiyalin dashed after him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Chrom stopped, almost mechanically, the swarm of impulsive emotions briefly halted by surprise.

"I can't let you die here. I can't let Emmeryn's death be in vain. You HAVE to live, Chrom. Live on and bring justice to the one who did this, bring peace back to this world," Reiyalin gripped Chrom tighter, her voice cracking. She released Chrom and gently tugged his arm, turning him around.

Reiyalin took Chrom's face between her hands, "And I can't lose you Chrom. You already mean far more to me than I ever realized. I can't possibly watch as you charge towards your death like this." The purple-haired tactician paused and then pulled herself up to share a deep kiss with the Ylissean prince.

Chrom froze, coming back to his senses. He had lost one among those that he cared most about in the world but there were still others that he cared for with all his heart. Reiyalin gently tugged his arm and pulled him along as she ran towards Basilio. Chrom begrudgingly followed her, craning his head and looking back wistfully once more at his fallen elder sister.


End file.
